Lord Drayson: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Don Touhig) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Stewardship Report on the Defence Estate 2005 will be published today. The publication of the report implements the commitment in the defence estate strategy In Trust & On Trust to report annually performance across a range of estate-related objectives, and to demonstrate that the department is discharging its obligations properly and acting responsibly in meeting the needs of the Armed Forces. The report attempts to balance:
	describing the substantial investment made in the estate, the successes over the year, the other steps being taken to improve the effectiveness of management and the achievement of value for money, with
	the commitment to provide an account of our stewardship to external stakeholders.
	The report is similar to previous ones in that it sets out the progress against the aims and objectives in the defence estate strategy and demonstrates how the estate is changing as a result. Copies will be made available in the Library; it will also be available via the MoD website at www.mod.uk.